Captain America - Archetypes

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Transcript of Captain America - Archetypes

Archetypes inCaptain America: The First Avenger Steve Rogers*Captain America* Antagonist Johann Shmidt*Red Skull* Agent Peggy Carter - She acts as a love intrest for Captain America, as well as a kindred spirit who understands his character and why he fights for what he does. She could fulfill the archetype of a mentor who subtly guides him during his journey, as well as Artemis; she is strong and level-headed. Other Influential Characters Before the transformation Rogers' one dream is to enlist into the US Army. Rogers was given the chance to become a part of the US army when he was given the "Super Soldier Serum" as part of a government research test. He has the character and integrity to be a strong soldier, but his stature and health hinder his chances. After the research test Osiris: The Male Messiah and Punisher Captain America has a strong sense of self, and upheld his values even before he was a hero.He stood up for what he believed in, especially by refusing to quit enlisting in the army since he wanted to fight for the US.Rogers realized that the pain it took for him to become the Super Soldier was worth it to fulfill his dream and help others.He was chosen to be the recipient of the serum because of his sense of hard work, courage and true value of being a soldier. Shmidt is Professor Erskine's first attempt at using the serum, which went horribly wrong.He is a Nazi leader of Hitler's science research division, HYDRA.Later, Red Skull separated HYDRA from the Nazi party in order to pursue his own vendetta of taking over the world and eliminating Captain America. Professor Abraham Erskine The Mentor He was the original creator of the "Super Soldier Serum." Was first working for the Nazis in Germany before his recruitment to work on "Project:Rebirth" for the US army's Strategic Scientific Reserve. This is how Captain America came to be. The Mentor Archetype Erskine demonstrates the traits of the Mentor archetype, especially when guiding Steve Rogers through the process.He gives Rogers advice to remain true to himself since the serum magnifies all traits in the person,"Whatever happens tomorrow you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man." Erskine recognized the ideal traits of a hero and led Rodgers to become Captain America. However, it was almost out of guilt that he should make everything right after he created Red Skull. James "Bucky" Barnes - He is Steve Rogers best friend, both before and after the transformation, who inspires him even more to enlist into the army. Represents the archetype of Ares, he is a lady's man as well as loyal and willing to fight for Steve during his time of need. Colonel Chester Phillips - He openly doubts how the serum would work and that Captain America would have any positive effects for the army. Accurately fit the archetype of "The Pessimist." Phillips not only doubted Rogers, but restricted him from going on the front lines of battle and fighting. Characters Cont. Steps of a Hero 1: The Ordinary World Captain America's normal world is one in which he is weak and unable to fulfill his dreams of being a soldier. 2: Call to Adventure Once Rogers thought he had been caught for lying on his enlistment form to be drafted, he is surprised to find that Professor Erskine wants to enlist him anyways for an unknown mission. 3: Refusal of the Call He questions the reason as to why Erskine would want him for this experiment, and hesitates to accept it until the next step of the hero's journey... Steps of a Hero 4: Meeting with Mentor The night before the procedure, Rogers meets with Erskine who tells him that he was chosen because he embodies everything a soldier should believe in. This gives him hope. 5: Crossing the First Threshold Rogers truly becomes a hero and crosses the threshold after the transformation and the success of the serum injection. 6: Tests, Allies, Enemies Immediately after the change, a Nazi spy steals the serum and kills Erskine. This establishes Captain America's allies and enemies for the movie, as well as the rescue of POWs. Steps of a Hero 7: Approach Captain America recruits the men he saved from the HYDRA prison camps and works alongside them to slowly destroy HYDRA bases across the world. 8: Ordeal This is the final attack on HYDRA's base where Red Skull is plotting more attacks. It incorporates all of Roger's team plus the assistance of the Army. 9: Reward Captain America eliminates Red Skull and gets rid of the Tesserect, the "jewel of the Gods" that Red Skull used to power his weapons. Steps of a Hero 10: The Road Back He must turn Red Skull's ship back around to the US in order to return home. 11: Resurrection Hero The plane is losing power quickly with not enough fuel to make it back to the US without harming civilians. He must land it in the Arctic in order to save others, at the risk of his own life. 12: Return with Elixir Captain America's body is found frozen and he continues to live, he returns with knowledge that can help the government work on harnessing the power of the Tesserect. Howard Stark - Is the weapons/technology creator for the US army. He invents the technique of using the serum on Rogers. Plays the role of assisting him through the change. Classic Villain Archetype Red Skull represents all that is awful in a villain, he is completely against the hero's plans, as well as placing little value on human lives.He is willing to risk anything in order to achieve his goal of world domination and harnessing the power of the Tesserect.